Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a closed end woodwind instrument and related methods. More particularly the present invention relates to a simple four-tone hole closed end woodwind instrument plus related notation, teaching, and playing methods.
Description of Related Art
In open-ended woodwind instruments, sound is produced by the player's air focused into a hole called the windway opening. Pitches which resonance occurs depends on the opening and closing of finger holes in the “air column” where wind travels through the instrument. In such woodwinds, the distance air travels through a bore and varied by the opening and closing of holes along the body of the instrument, providing different resonance frequencies. Coupling efficiency affects instrument responsiveness (the ease in which the instrument produces a desired tone in response to the efforts of the musician).
Closed-end flutes are characterized by an enclosed hollow body chamber instead of an open-ended bore to produce sound. Different notes are produced by covering and uncovering finger holes. Some of these closed-end types were capable of producing a diatonic scale and/or chromatic scale. Multiple chamber vessel flutes can play diatonically or chromatically reaching ranges two octaves or greater. Many of these flutes go as far back as 30,000 years and have been made in clay, porcelain, metal, wood and plastic.
Origins of first use confined these devices as signal whistles. Technically they were not true musical instruments because they lacked features unlike other instruments that would evolve into more sophisticated devices used in orchestras, wind bands, and other ensembles. This lack of features for such whistles deemed them to the status of noisemakers. Something that makes a sound but lacked sophistication to play melodic or ensemble parts.
The major advance from noisemaker to instrument was due to the work of Giuseppe Donati (1836-1925), the inventor of what he named ocarina. His instrument created accurate pitch and an extended range. Other inventors based their ocarinas on Donati's design and the instrument spread to all corners of the world by the early 20th century.
By the late 1960s, a smaller English made pendant whistle capable of playing several notes of a scale came into use. Although these instruments could produce notes of varying degrees, they were incapable of consistency, therefore could not be used in school environments. At present, no music program to best of knowledge in the United States employs a globular whistle used as an educational tool.
The existence of a vessel flute to advance music pedagogy has been limited or non-existent. This is due to the materials they are made of and lack of accuracy concerning intonation and reliability. This lack of standardization is the main reason why globular whistles are not used for such educational functions. With reductions in the funding of music programs in the schools, the matter of a well developed economical teaching system becomes very important.
The potential to make such an instrument for a school environment is possible. What is needed is consistency in the instrument manufacturing process, along with a method designed specifically for the instrument, a notation system and creation of specific repertory. Consistency for instrument standardization is key but is held back due to the materials presently used, namely clay or wood. There is little to no chance clay can create consistent models. Wood is more accurate than clay, but requires a more labor intensive process for mass production which has not materialized so far. The workmanship alone would require a prohibitive price to schools.
Therefore, what is needed is a simple instrument plus related notation and methods that may be easily played.